


Love Is Not A Choice

by geeky_shipper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aka Swearing, Alternate Universe - College/University, And a motorbike, Background Hunay and Adashi, Bisexual Lance, But slow burn for the actual relationship, Gay Keith, It's Laith, It's a quick burn for crushing, Keith has a man bun, Keith is a sexy boi, Keith is also an artist boi now, Lance is pining, Lance is roommates with Pidge and Hunk, M/M, One sided Keitor - Freeform, Or Is It?, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Lance (Voltron), Shiro is now a gay boi, klance, mature language, sassy pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-05-09 11:09:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14714900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeky_shipper/pseuds/geeky_shipper
Summary: It's Lance's Sophomore year at Garisson College; he thinks he's got his life perfect and on track.That is, until a new biker boy shows up with a gorgeous face and a gorgeous body.Now, Lance is crushing on a guy who is way out of his league.Can he last the semester?





	1. The Attack Of The Pining

Beautiful. That's all Lance could think of.Just so fucking-

"Lance, your gay is showing"

The Cuban boy turned to face his tiny friend- otherwise known as _Evil Gremlin_ \- to see her with one hand on her hip, while the other pushes up her glasses. They've always been to big on her and she doesn't need them, but she refuses to ever take them off, as they were a gift from her brother before he left on a research mission to Antarctica as a gift so she won't forget him. Like she ever would. She was wearing a green jumper that's, like her glasses, abnormally large on her petite body. Her brown hair was untamed, probably because it was the first day of Sophomore Year. It was highly likely that she was running on about 90 percent caffeine and only 10 percent natural energy.

"Nah, Pidge, you gotta remember. It's 'Your bi is showing'!"

Lance raised his head to look at the large man approaching him and Pidge. He was definitely double the size of Pidge, probably is weight and height. An orange headband kept his dark hair off his face and brown eyes. He had on a yellow top, sleeves that just reached past the elbow, and a green sleeveless jacket over it. He was clearly of Hawaiian decent-from his muscular body type and dark skin- and wasn't afraid to show it. Lance admired that about the man. Never afraid of what other people thought of him. It was always an issue Lance had, though. A problem that is the reason why he's always getting shit from his friends.

"Sorry Hunk. Lance, your 'BI' is showing" Pidge said in a monotone voice, making extra effort to use finger quotes.

OK, this was stupid. Lance wasn't doing anything. What's wrong with waiting in line for a Chocolate Mocha With Extra Whipped Cream And Chocolate Sauce- Pidge had called it an abomination to the taste buds, but honestly Lance couldn't stand the actual taste of coffee and it was only allowed if it didn't taste like pure sugar, then what was the point.

"Seriously, guys! What have I done?"

Lance was genuinely curious. He's often _oblivious_ to a lot of shit, according to his friends. Most of the time, he's either flirting his ass off or staring from a distance at someone he doesn't even know he's staring at.

"You're so fucking dumb-"

"Pidge!"

Ignoring his previous statement, Pidge continued "You were staring at that dude over there," she pointed to across the room, "You had heart eyes and everything"

Lance allowed his eyes to follow where Pidge was pointing, and damn was he worth staring at.

A tight black T-Shirt; A red cropped jacket-strange but _fuck_ ; Black skinny jeans; Red and black high top trainers; Black finger less gloves- _ooohh he could be a biker_ ; Cheekbones and jawline cut from motherfucking stone; Raven hair tied into a high ponytail; Thick eyelashes protecting violet eyes.

He could understand why he was staring at this _Greek God_ earlier. Lance opened his mouth to probably shout _HOT DAMN_ but held his tongue when he realized that he had his friends around, that would hold it over his head until the death of the universe. But sweet mama! Lance usually went for the jock type in men and strong-willed, popular type for women, but never has he been into the dark, mysterious, sexy-

"Buddy, you're drooling."

 _SHIT!_ He forgot to close his mouth. Without moving his sight from the _Sexy Piece Of Meat_ , he brought his hand up to his chin and wiped it thoroughly. There was too much saliva for it to not be disgusting. Lance decided to finally look away, only to be greeted with two very smug faces.

"Soooo-"

"Stop."

"You think he's the shit, huh?"

"Pidge there are children here! And no I do not, I just have eyes like everybody else!"

"Ahah, so you DO think he's hot!"

"Stop twisting my words, you evil Gremlin!"

Pidge just snorted and pushed her glasses further up her nose. It was at times like this that Lance despised Pidge. But, everyone knows that if anyone dared go after Pidge, then they would have hell to pay from Lance.

"Flat white for Keith." The barista who had the name Nyma said with a smile on her face. Lance had met her a while back at a Frat Party. He attempted to woo her, to which she played along. Lance honestly thought she was the one and that he had won his heart. That was until she humiliated him by tying him to a tree, when he was flat out drunk. They haven't really spoken since, but enough time has passed to not be petty about it. That doesn't mean he's not mad about it. Lance will forever be petty, but will never start a fight. He wouldn't leave a tip, not like her selfies on Instagram, unfriending her on Facebook. All the worst things Lance would hate to happen to him.

Lance was pulled out of his mental attack at Nyma when he noticed the Hot Dude moving towards the barista and taking the travel cup. He supposed he could start calling him Keith instead of the nicknames he'd given this sexy stranger. Keith. Keith and Lance. It's got a nice ring to it, if Lance doesn't say so himself. It could be them against the world. Keith and Lance, neck and neck-

"Chocolate Mocha for a... Lonce?"

Lance chose to ignore how the male barista, Rolo, pronounced his very simple name, to use this as an excuse to walk towards the beautiful specimen known as Keith. He decided it was best to look away from Keith to grab his coffee for two reasons. One, Lance didn't want to seem like a creep to Keith. And two, he didn't want to spill his coffee all over himself and cause an event that would have everybody laughing at him until the end of time.

One thing Lance didn't consider, however, was a different situation that could end up so so much worse. A situation that would end up in embarrassment and ruining his future.

Lance picked up his coffee and, while still looking down, he turned to leave immediately so he didn't have to engage with anyone hot. One issue lance hadn't thought of was downing his new found sexy stranger, Keith, in his coffee. And in meeting held by the Gods, the unplanned situation happened. One second, Lance is turning to exit. The next, he's staring at a drenched Keith. His black T-Shirt now showed a defined set of abs, sticking to Keith's skin like it was a life line. So fucking hot-

"Hot,hot,hot,hot,hot!"

"Holy fucking shit, I'm so sorry!"

Lance blindly grabbed for some napkins on the counter, but he stopped when he heard snorting and shushes behind. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to see Pidge slowly turning red while attempting to stop herself from laughing by leaning on her taller friend. It's never obvious when Hunk laughs, but if he laughs hard enough, his shoulders and abdomen shake. Lance turned back to face the boy he downed in coffee. 

Keith was currently trying and failing to dab himself dry, and honestly, it looked adorable. His nose was scrunched up in frustration and his mouth formed a cute little frown. Keith had set his Flat White on the counter to focus more on drying himself and was getting help from Nyma and Rolo, though they weren't really putting that much effort in. Lance took pity on this poor model, and decided to help. He might as well take a bit of the blame anyway.

"Here, let me h-help,"Lance stuttered on the last word as gorgeous violet eyes looked up to meet his.

"Nah, I'm good. You've done enough."

What?! All Lance wanted to do was help a beautiful man wipe down his beautiful body, and he's been denied! How dare he refuse the help of the man who had nothing to do with this very unfortunate event that had nothing to do with Lance. What made this guy think that he ruled the world and what everybody did? What gave this guy the right to be a douche?

"Hey man, have some advice, don't be a dick."

Keith stopped drying himself to completely focus on Lance. He'd finished drying himself, and now looked pissed. Shit.

"OK, look here 'man'," Keith made sure to use finger-quotations "But if I remember correctly, _YOU_ spilled _YOUR_ coffee over _ME_ " He also made sure to jab Lance's chest every time. "So don't call _ME_ a dick when all you've done is cover me in coffee and make me late for my lecture."

Keith then grabbed his coffee off of the counter, still glaring into Lance's blue eyes with his violet one's. He then turned and took a few steps towards the glass door, but he stopped halfway and came straight back. Keith took out $5, handed it to the barista and uttered a few incoherent words. It was only then, Keith walked out. 

Lance heard Pidge flat out screaming from laughter. She had taken off her glasses to wipe her eyes that had started to tear up. Lance scowled almost effective immediately. He knew he had to mentally prepare himself for all Pidge's teasing. It woud be never ending, go on until the universe dies. At least he had Hunk to help him with the unbearable jokes and jabs at Lance's dating life.

"Lance, you actual idiot." Hunk spoke first as Pidge still couldn't breath "I mean, at first it was funny, but there you go blaming him for _YOUR_ mess!"

Lance dragged his hand across the side of his face, while letting out a sigh. One thing he hated, was that Hunk was always right. He knew he had fucked up. But Lance didn't know what he was doing at the time, it was just a defense mechanism. Lance had been rejected by potential dates so many times, that most of the time he just wings it and hopes for the best. It just happens by default now, but there was definitely something about Keith that set off the fire in Lance.

"Anyway, haven't you got a lecture now?"

" _FUUUUUUUUUUCK_ "

Lance checked his phone and it revealed that he had three minutes to get across campus that was normally a ten minute route. He quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket. He waved goodbye to his friends, one of which still haven't caught her breath. He turned and started power-walking to the door, but stopped a second before he left.

"Chocolate Mocha for Lance."

 _What?_ Lance storms back to the counter, grabs the coffee and inspects it. It has **Lance** written on the side in black sharpie. But there was also the word **sorry** written underneath it in smaller writing

"I didn't order this." Lance said simply but cold.

"No, you didn't. Buuut, the guy, ya know the one you spilled your previous coffee all over, ordered and payed for it!" It was clear that Nyma was trying to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter on the last sentence.

_So Keith payed for this._

Before he could put anymore thought into it, as he had to charge out of there to get to his lecture, chugging his coffee and burning his tongue as he went.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

When Lance reaches the door to his lecture hall, he is officially 12 minutes late. He stands there for about 30 seconds to catch his breath, before slowly opening the wooden door and peers inside. The hall is large with multiple rows, gradually ascending. The seats each have their own mini-table attached and you could say the class was well and truly packed. The professor was standing in front the desk, referring to the PowerPoint on the board. She was very clearly explaining whatever the hell she was talking about, so thoroughly that she didn't notice Lance enter the room. 

Lance silently closed the door behind him, and looked around for an available seat.

_Come on, come on, come on! Is there even a seat free?_

"Ah, Mr McClain, how nice of you to join us." An English accent, sounding posh and like it's from the South-East, sounded behind him.

Lance looked at the professor, who was now facing him with her hand tapping impatiently on her arm. The tall woman had her silvery hair loosely tied into a bun, contrasting heavily on her dark skin. She wore a navy blue blazer, with a white blouse underneath, a navy blue pencil skirt, and navy blue Gucci high heels to match. She wore purple, diamond earrings and had pink eye shadow all around her blue eyes. She was truly beautiful yet terrifying in every sense.

He gave her a sheepish smile, in hopes that she would let him off without a thorough explanation in front of the now sniggering class.

"I'm sorry professor..." Lance stuttered trying to remember her name "uhhh.... professor..."

"My name is Professor Altea, Mr McClain, you would know that if you showed up on time." Lance could practically hear the venom dripping from her words.

"I apologize for my lateness, Professor Altea, I have no excuse but I can assure you, it won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't. Now, go take a seat." She gestured towards the audience of students.

Lance searched for a seat, but everyone that he could see from the angle he was at, was occupied.

"Excuse me, professor, but where?" He kept his eyes on the rows of seats, praying he would find one soon, so he could die from embarrassment in peace.

The professor looked at the class, "There is a seat available next to Keith. I-I mean Mr Kogane."

_Better not be the same fucking Keith as earlier, or I shall pray for the ground to swallow me up._

Lance took a second to compose himself, just listening in to the professor as she continued her lesson. Then he started making his way up the stairs of the lecture hall, noticing a spare seat next to a pale boy with _raven hair tied into a high ponytail_. The boy had his eyes set on his notebook only looking up every few seconds, probably to catch what the professor is teaching. His right hand, which had _finger less gloves_ , gripped a pen and scribbled down notes. His black T-shirt stuck to his chest and there was _a damp patch_ on his abdomen. The boy looked exactly like _Coffee Shop Sexy Dude_.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit. I'm sorry for not going to Church, O'Lord Jesus Christ, but I shall dedicate the rest of my life to the Catholic Religion if you save me now!_

Nothing happened.

It turns out This Keith is the same as Previous Keith. Which ends up being Lance's Perfect Hell. Perfect, because Lance gets to meet the same _Sexy Specimen_ twice in one day. Hell, because Lance was humiliated last time he met him and now he will have to sit next to Keith till the end of the lecture.

_Greatttttt(!)_

Lance rapidly takes the seat, leaning as far away from Keith as he possibly could. He pulled out his iPad Pro and keyboard attachment, his pride and joy, and quickly got to actually trying to listen to what the professor was teaching, taking down notes to wherever he felt necessary. Key word here, _trying_. Lance couldn't stop thinking about what would happen with Keith during the lesson and after it finished. He kept coming up with crazy theories that Keith was going to stand up, yell about how much a dick Lance was and how much he wanted to kill him. Those thoughts had Lance bouncing his legs, chewing the insides of his cheeks and constantly rubbing his sweaty palms along his jeans. He was radiating anxiety and frustration.

The lesson finished and there was good news and bad news.

The good news was that none of Lance's predictions of a terrible future came true, and the worst lesson Lance had ever needed to endure had finally finished.

The bad news, however, was that Lance didn't get a single piece of information from probably the most important lecture of the year.

It was the first lecture so it would have explained the course for the semester, any major projects and maybe even given them out. Lance would have been so screwed if he missed information on a project that made up fifty percent of his overall grade in _Philosophy, Politics & Economics_. Lance is only one day into the semester and he's already prepared to give up.

_Urghhhhhhhhhhh_

Lance packed away all his stuff, and walked down the now empty lecture hall steps. He had been in his own world thinking about life, and almost everyone had left. Almost. Keith was standing in front of the professor's desk, seemingly in a heated conversation with her too. Lance _accidentally_ takes a detour to walk closer to the argument and definitely not eavesdrop on this very private conversation.

"Allura, how many times have I told you!"

"Don't talk to me like that." The woman let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, Keith, I know you don't want people to know that we know each other outside of college, but it just slipped out. People are going to find out anyway at the wedding!"

_Wedding?!_

Keith is getting married to the professor? Lance is flabbergasted. For one, Keith is obviously going to get special treatment and get top of the class if he's sleeping with _'Allura'_. And two, Lance is pretty sure this situation, right here, is illegal. It's not like Lance is totally wrecked that Keith has a fiancé. Not. At. All

Lance picked up his pace, quickly after hearing that. Only because he has a different lecture in about 10 minutes. Definitely. His increase in speed meant he reached the door quicker. He left the end conversation to his imagination, and sped down the corridors.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"This is going right in my blog!"

Pidge grabbed her laptop, instantly starting to write. "Continue your comedy gold, Lance!" She nodded her head furiously.

"So, he's got a fiancé, and is most likely not into guys at all. I'm so fucked with a crush on a straight guy."

Pidge stopped typing, in favor of rolling off the sofa, laughing and clutching her sides. Her glasses slide down her curved nose and her cropped-short hair ruffles while being dragged against the front of the sofa. 

_Screw her_

"Lance, you know that you never feel good after listening to a conversation, even if it's not about you." A low voice erupted from next to the hyperventilating gremlin, "And I bet you ten bucks, that this professor is not Keith's fiancé, and in fact maybe his brother's fiancé or something."

"I'll take you on that bet."

"OK, but for this bet to work, we need to find out the truth, and you know what that means!" Hunk made jazz hands on the last section of the statement, making Lance realize what he's suggesing

"Nope. Nononononono. Not. Happening."

"Awww, come on buddy. It's just a casual conversation."

"Oh yeah! A casual conversation about his fiancé!" Lance put emphasis on the _fiancé_.

"His maybe fiancé, though."

Pidge had finally stopped laughing herself into oblivion and decided to contribute to this very pointless argument. Or as Lance likes to see it, very pointful! 

_Is that a word?_

"Look, Lance, just talk to him, maybe just apologize for being a dick. He might be gay, or just your friend, but one thing's for certain. I need a cool friend in this friendship group, so I don't have to deal with you two losers on my own!"

"HEY!" Lance and Hunk were in complete unison for their offended remark.

"Fine. Hunk, you're pretty chill, you can help me with Lance. But I still want a cool friend!"

"HEY!" This time Lance exclaimed his offence on his own. He looked over to a very smug looking Hunk, who was high fiving Pidge.

"Sorry buddy, just stating facts here."

Lance was definitely more hurt than he was before. Just because Keith looked, sounded, and acted cool, does not mean that he is cool. And Lance was not prepared to either admit that or accepting Keith as just a straight friend, instead of super-hot, gay, guy who shares the same feelings as him. 

"First off, you two are rude, so go die in a hole. Secondly, there is no way in God's Green Earth that I am ever gonna make friends with him, you saw how he acted. He's a dick!"

"Keep making up excuses, McClain, but if you don't do it I will." Pidge turned away from Lance, a smirk painting her face, "I've got his number anyway."

Hold on. Rewind. Take a few steps back. Pidge has got Keith's number? How on Earth does Pidge haVE KEITH'S NUMBER??

"WHAT?" Lance was wide-eyed, panting, and scrambling to get a hold of the evil, yet tiny, human, "HOW DID YOU DO IT? YOU HAVEN'T EVEN MET HIM!"

Pidge did a giggle that morphed into a scream as Lance managed to grab hold off her sides to tickle her. This continued until Hunk had to physically peel Lance off of her, sitting in between the two after Lance had tried to attack Pidge again. Lance could feel that his hair had been ruffled from the rough movements and was itching to comb his fingers through his hair, only refraining to do so that he won't look like a _perfectionist_.

Pidge, however, looked like she had been dragged backwards through a bush. Her large green jumper, that she wore for the majority of her time awake and refused to take off, had fallen down on one shoulder whilst leaving a black sport's bra strap in view. Her baggy trousers had managed to get yet another rip, from stupid activities over the years. Pidge's already uncontrollable hair stuck up in all directions and she was placing her glasses on her nose, which she had taken off the second they started play-fighting probably in fear that they would crack.

"How... Did... You... Get his... Number?" Lance was very much out of breath and couldn't string his words into a neat and continuous question. Don't judge him.

"We all have Engineering together. Him and me are minoring in it, whereas Hunk is majoring ." It would have been impossible to wipe that smug look off Pidge's face, "On the curriculum we have to be in groups of three for a project. Me, Hunk and Keith got put into a group together, and I praise Jesus for it."

"Dude is actually super talented; he built his motorbike all by himself and like 2 others." Hunk chimed in.

_Woah. Maybe he could build the car we'll take to our wedding- Stop it Lance._

So Keith can do it all. Great. Just will have to one u him next time Lance sees him.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Tapping. Waiting. Tapping. Waiting. Tapping. Waiting.

He hasn't shown. Keith clearly knew that Lance was going to show him up, and decided it was best for his dignity, to not show up.

It's either that or Keith had taken a holiday with his fiancé _Allura_ , as the professor had not shown either. They were probably making out in a broom cupboard in the corridor, or they were fucking in a toilet. Jealousy had taken Lance over a lot recently every time he's thought of the raven-haired boy, which shook him to his very core. The fact that Keith could be spending time sharing his hot body with someone not called Lance, made him want to punch anyone and anything that tried to communicate with Keith. 

_Stop feeling like this. He is an engaged man!_

Lance was lost in his own thoughts when the boy he was thinking about walked in, closely followed by the professor Lance was currently admiring and loathing at the same time. But Lance managed to pull himself out of the muffled anxiety to admire Keith enough to borderline stalker-ish. He had his hair tied into a high bun- same as last time- and was wearing the same dark red-maroon army boots. However, he was was ripped grey skinny jeans, an ACDC black t-shirt and a denim jacket with NASA badges and alien pins. It looked like Keith would be into conspiracy theories, but the demeanor he gave off definitely said he was too cool for that bullshit.

_Still cute, though. Urghh. Stop it!_

Lance pushed his hand through his hair and grabbed a chunk. He rested his elbows on the tiny desk, that was joined to the chair, and picked at a few strands of his chocolate-brown hair. Lance was so frustrated with how Keith had managed to mess with his brain, despite the fact that they haven't been able to have a civilized conversation at least once. What infuriated Lance more is that the only stories he's heard from his friends, who's apparently all buddy-buddy with Keith, is that he was a laugh with the right amount of wit and sarcasm. Keith was, allegedly, perfect. In. Every. Single. Fucking. Way.

Lance only looked up when he heard the professor start her lesson, and he totally didn't look up to stare at Keith. He totally didn't notice how Keith was sat next to a dude with shockingly white, long hair slicked back with some hair gel. Lance couldn't see the man, only his back, but he could tell that he would have sharp facial features and a sneer-y tone. All dicks do. The man seemed to not be paying attention and focused intently on Keith. He seemed to be focused on _harassing_ Keith. He was touching his arm, laughing whenever Keith shrugged him off, only to place his hand on his arm once again. 

It picked at Lance, just nipping him at the back of his brain, waiting to jump forward and take control like some sort of wild animal. He wanted to storm towards them, throw the man next to Keith across the room, and take his rightful place next to him. The urge itched under his skin, scratching to be free. Lance gripped his pen and scribbled down gibberish, in hopes that this was the best way to end the fighting urge. His attempts were in vain.

Luckily, because of his distraction, the lesson ended relatively quickly, and Lance was free to scamper out of the room. He sped down the now crowded hallway and turned into the men's toilet. He avoided looking at the fuck-boys at the urinals and made a beeline for the stalls. He slammed and locked the stall door, placed the toilet lid down and slumped down. 

Lance gripped at his hair, trying to clear his head from all the fog. It's just a sexual attraction. It's just a sexual attraction. It's just a crush. Wait, no.

_I can do this._

And try to do it, Lance shall.


	2. Manning Up

When Lance put his key into the lock of 3b, he heard muffled laughter and excited chatter. This always worries Lance. Whenever Hunk brings back someone, whether it be a friend or someone looking to hook up, he's always respectful of his fellow roommates. Pidge, however, is not. When Pidge brings her mates round-never anyone that could possibly be looking to be her significant other-they always screw with Lance and Hunk. They'd prank them, distract them from projects, cook them something that _looks_ delicious but ends u being filled with a secret ingredient that is one-hundred percent not edible. Whatever evil thing they may do, it never ends well for Lance.

Lance just prays that it's one of Hunk's friends. If it's Hunk's mate, then Lance could hang with the most definitely nice person, but if it's Pidge's then Lance will have to hide in his room until the end of time.

Stopping to take a breath, Lance turned the key and pushed the door open slowly.

_Please be Hunk. Please be Hunk. Please be Hunk_

Lance kicked his vans off of one foot, then the other. He chucked his rucksack on the ground, in between his shoes and his roommates junk, and padded along the hallway to peer into the living room. They had replaced the far side wall with glass doors a few years back because Lance couldn't stand the plain beige wall in between the beautiful view, the balcony and the room. The two other walls had been painted a dull silver to bring attention the wall on the far right. It had wallpaper of silver roses and had a long chest of drawers, almost the length of the wall. That chest of drawers was vital to their entertainment life, containing DVDs and video games for their X-box, and had a decent working TV on top of it. Opposite that was the sofa that had three dips in different sections from where they had sat over the years. He had to make sure everything was perfect and luckily Hunk's mums, from their work as world famous chefs, were so rich and willing to fund Lance's obsessive decorating.

Pidge and Hunk were sat on the white, fluffy rug in the middle of the room, laughing their asses off at something their guest said. Unfortunately, Lance couldn't see the mystery guest and was still at lost to whether he should hide or jump straight in and have a laugh with his friends. At least Hunk is there, 'cause that means that the new 'buddy' isn't a total dick. But then Pidge is there, so they have to have the same stupid and witty humor and the kind of wickedness to be straight up kill someone who looks at them wrong. So, it's basically a fifty/fifty chance that they would be someone Lance would or wouldn't like. 

Lance slipped through the door, relatively unnoticed, and sneakily made his way to the connecting kitchen; separated by a grey marble breakfast bar. A matching marble island with a white sink and cupboards around the bottom, filled with pots and pans and everything Hunk would ever need for his experimental recipes. Across from that, was the large Samsung fridge-freezer and two oven- the grill above the oven. There were more cupboards, containing plates, bowls, cups and mugs and a few drawers containing all sorts of utensils for cooking. It was humble, but impressive. Lance loved it.

Lance got a bottle of water out of the fridge, as well as a slice of pizza from Hunk's creation they had last night. Even though it was cold, it was still the nicest pizza he had ever eaten. Hunk could make even the most disgusting of recipes and make you want to have it for your last meal. Hunk was the best chef on the planet and honestly Lance knew Hunk didn't need to major in culinary skills. Hunk's moms told them it would get Hunk noticed quicker if he does really well in the class, and give him the required degrees to get a job easily. He supposed that made sense.

Lance lazily munched on his pizza staring out of the window, wondering about life in general when he heard snorting and his name being yelled. He turned his head to see Hunk was now at the island, attempting to quite clearly have a conversation, while Pidge was laughing at something their new-found friend, she started hyperventilating. It was so infuriating that Lance still couldn't see this person as they had very skillfully placed themselves in front of the sofa so Lance couldn't see him. 

"Lance, you gonna join us?" Hunk asked with an inquisitive look, like he knew what Lance was wondering about. He huffed a hefty sigh.

"Uh, maybe? I don't know. If I don't have any projects, then maybe I'll _consider_ hanging with you."

Hunk gave him a pointed look, already knowing that Lance is lying to get out of it. Or impress. Lance isn't really sure himself, but he's definitely talking himself out of the second option. 

"I'll give you five minutes to dress yourself up for this. Then I'll be dragging you out of your room, kicking and screaming, whether you're ready or not."

Hunk finished with the cross of his arms and gave him a death stare. _Goddamnit!_ It doesn't help that Hunk is his best friend and knows every nook and cranny of Lance. Hell, give him a test on the history of Lance and Hunk would pass with flying colours. Every time, it got harder for Lance to say no to him as Hunk knew every one of his weaknesses to giving in and could turn down every single excuse Lance gives.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeeeee." Lance dragged the vowels on and slid down the island.

Leaving Hunk behind, Lance shuffled into the hallway, making a show of his pain, and headed for his room. His room was reasonably sized and fit everything he owned. Well, nearly. Lance is known by his roommates as the one "Who Buys A Load Of Unneeded Bullshit". His stuff is basically scattered all over the apartment, but that's not relevant right now.""

Lance's room has a large, wooden wardrobe covered in posters-from NASA to pop singers- and a few photos of him, his family and his friends. He loved that wardrobe, because it was from his bedroom at home-home. A piece of his family. A piece of his childhood. A piece of _Lance_. The wardrobe was placed in the far left corner of the room, next to his queen-sized bed. His bed had two white pillows covered in black dots, for fashion, with a matching duvet and grey throw. On the other side of the bed, was a small desk that had a grey lamp, a couple of notepads, pens, leftover mugs from previous nights of studying and a mirror for when Lance is having a bad day. Opposite his bed, was a large window that faces east, so that every morning he has the perfect view of the sun rising over the trees. The curtains were a navy blue, matching the wall where his bed lay against whereas the rest were a creamy white. On the right wall was a chest of drawers, to contain underwear and random crap, with a Samsung 18'' TV on top. It was useful for Sundays when he wanted to catch up on his favourite telenovelas, like  Juegos de Fuego and Martin Rivas, or hide from Hunk and Pidge.

Man, Lance loves his room. He padded over to his wardrobe and pulled out his trusty green jacket and his favourite grey top with blue sleeves. He changed quickly and made his way over to his desk with a hairbrush and a stick of concealer. Lance may not know who this person is, but he sure as hell isn't going to let them know that he has dark circles under his eyes. Applying the makeup and blending with his fingers (he had lost his beauty blender and couldn't be arsed to get a new one yet) and then jazzing his hair up. He checked his phone to see that he had taken precisely five minutes to get ready, which made him wayy too smug. Lance got up, took a moment to breath (for no reason _at all_ ) and strode into the kitchen/living room, building up courage as he went.

Hunk was washing up a glass when Lance entered the kitchen area of the room. Hunk turned around, face lighting up, and started doing little bounces.

"Oh thank God, you came! I honestly thought you were gonna refuse and make this extremely difficult."

Lance just placed a hand to his chest, leaned back a little and made the biggest offended gasp he could do, which was quite big if Lance didn't say so himself. Hunk chuckled lightly and waved a hand over to the living section, silently requesting Lance to join him. They started walking towards the others, Hunk carrying armfuls of crisps and snacks for the group. Tufts of raven hair came into view as Lance walked closer, and he slowed his steps while drawing conclusions in his mind. As he drew closer, he noticed black, finger-less gloves on pale hands, grey skinny jeans, a grey beanie and a _tight_ black t-shirt with a red lion roaring in the centre. And the person wearing this outfit had violet eyes and sharp facial features. That person was too familiar for Lance's liking.

_Ohhhhhhhh fuuuuuuuck_

Hunk sat down cross-legged next to Pidge and placed the snacks in the middle of the group. Pidge looked up at Lance with a smug look meeting his probably pale face now, pushing up her glasses when they slipped from the movement.

"What's wrong Lance? Aren't you gonna join us?" Pidge sneered, her smirk growing more with every word.

_Fuck you, you little Gremlin_

"Yeah, yeah." Lance croaked out, slowly sinking to the fluffy carpet the others sat on.

Keith looked up from his phone and met Lance's blue eyes while he was going to sit. Lance definitely didn't feel his heart jump in his chest. Lance definitely didn't fall the rest of the way down. Lance's friends definitely didn't laugh at his loss of mind when Keith is around. Lance definitely didn't blush when Keith joined in on the giggling.

When Keith composed himself, he tucked a _beautiful_ strand of hair behind his ear and put a gloved hand out in front of him.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Keith." Keith spoke with a timid smile. It was obvious he wasn't used to socializing with new people and that he was trying. 

_It's cute._

Lance stared at the hand hovering in front of him, breath caught in his throat. He swallowed a lump growing in his throat and wiped his surprisingly clammy hand on his jeans. He looked up to meet Keith's now worried eyes. Lance took the gloved hand and shook it roughly, loving the warmth the contact brought. He put on a large smile and his confident persona, making Keith visibly calmer.

"The name's _Lance_ " Lance introduced himself, accidentally slipping into his flirting tone. _Accidentally_.

"It's obvious you two have already met. But it's nice to see that one of you isn't dripping in coffee!" Pidge snorted and Hunk chuckled quietly.

"That was you?" Keith questioned, looking quite puzzled. This really shouldn't have offended Lance, but when has he ever not been over-dramatic.

"Excuse me! You don't recognize me! I will have you know I am very _very_ memorable." Lance's tone was sharp and unnecessary, but when Lance was offended, he was properly _offended_.

Pidge started snorting Lance's perfectly reasonable response to Keith's remark, whereas Hunk just stared at Lance in horror. However, Keith's expression had completely changed. His eyebrows were drawn together, causing his cute nose to scrunch up with cute little wrinkles. It looked like he was on the verge of confusion and frustration-or something like that. Like he was trying to figure out something in his brain, and put two and two together.

"Do I know you?" Keith asked,"Like from somewhere else?

"Of course, I'm like your rival in _Philosophy_." Keith gave him a blank look,"You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck."

An expression of realisation slowly crept its way onto Keith's face, softening all his features.

"Ohh, you're that dude that showed up late to the lecture!!" Keith exclaimed a little bit too loud,"Then you had to sit next to me and could not focus on the lesson and Allura to save your life! Seems to be the only things you're good at."

"Rude, I'll have you know that I am a man of many talents." Lance stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

Keith just smirked that beautiful smirk,"Oh yeah? Prove it."

_Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck_

Lance's mind was blank. How is his mind blank? Lance is in expert in so many activities. For instance, Lance is amazing at... at... you know, at... Well, shit. Oh oh oh, Lance is the best at decorating, hence why he was majoring in _Interior Design_ and only minoring in _Philosophy, Politics and Economics_.

Pidge was going red, basking in Lance's embarrassment, and shaking from her amusement. Hunk was munching on a packet of crisps, clearly enjoying the new entertainment between the two boys. Keith was hugging one of his legs, with the other still bent into a cross-legged position, staring at Lance with a comforting but also intimidating look in his eyes.

"I'll have you know, I am bloody good at decorating and architecture." Lance smirked, enjoying Keith's impressed expression, "I designed this absolutely beautiful interior, and all within the Mrs Garrets' budget."

"Impressive." Keith stated, nodding slowly.

"I know." Lance commented while observing his perfectly cut nails.

"And so very very humble, too." Keith muttered sarcastically under his breath, causing Pidge to choke on her Coca-Cola. Keith stood up from his spot on the fluffy rug and brushed himself off of crumbs, that had fallen on him from the snacks he was eating earlier.

"Where is the toilet?"

"Down the hallway, first door on the right. You can't miss it." Hunk instructed with his friendly demeanour.

Keith nodded, to acknowledge Hunk's words, and walked out the room, while Lance watched Keith's every step.

"So, you've only spoken to him twice and both times have been a complete and utter failure." Hunk stated while munching on a Dorito. 

"Thank you for pointing that new and totally important piece of information out for me, _Hunk _!"__

____

"You have fucked it up royally, you know. And, from what I know about Keith, is that he rises to the bait but if it gets too serious, he will not let them back into his life. He very much has the lone-wolf persona, only accepting people when he really needs to, or they accept him first." Pidge commented while scrolling through Tumblr, "Don't fuck with him."

____

"Language! There are children around!"

____

"I am not a child, Lance. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that."

____

Lance rolled his eyes. He just doesn't understand why his friends are like this. Sure, Keith is hot and so _fucking fuckable_ , but not what Lance goes for.

____

Lance loves the gentlemen. The men who would play American Football on the weekends; the men who would go out with his mates for a couple of hours to return back to Lance; the men who wouldn't mind doing anything- whether it would be cuddling on the sofa or staying out dancing all night long; the men who would drive an expensive car and dress in the finest suits; the men who are clean shaven and have the neatest haircuts; the men who would look after their body like it's a temple; the men who would be confident but not arrogant; the men who love Lance _for Lance_.

____

Obviously, it's hard to find a man like that while in college. They're all dicks. And there are girls that Lance flirts with, but he doesn't see half of them leading to a relationship, let alone a long-term one. All the girls he's actually _wanted_ to have an official relationship with have been either taken, poisonous or in love with someone else other than Lance.

____

Lance would never go for a guy that didn't like people or socializing; a guy that was scruffy and didn't care for his appearance; a guy that listens to cringey rock music; a guy that has a shit taste in humor, but still is able to make Lance laugh; a guy that works out but doesn't eat healthily; a guy that is smart but doesn't boast about it; a guy who's impulsive but just manages to think before he acts; a guy who dresses like an emo; a guy with raven hair that can be tied up; a guy who is competitive and sarcastic; a guy who wears finger-less gloves; a guy named Keith.

____

_Well shit._

____

Totally not speaking of Keith, where is he? It's been a good ten minutes since he'd been gone. ( _Yes, time moves faster in the Fan-Fiction universe_ )

____

"Where's Keith?"

____

Pidge mumbled an 'I-don't-know' but it came out more of "erg-um-beau", which really was _helpful_.

____

"I'll go see if he got lost on the way to find the toilet." Lance casually told his friends while getting up from his position on the floor.

____

Lance strolled to the hallway and to wear the toilet was. He knocked on the door, only for it to slowly open and reveal an empty room. Puzzled, Lance headed back to the living room, but he managed to spot a body curled up on the floor next to the shoes. The figure was shaking slightly, holding a phone in one of his gloved hands. It looked like it was still turned on with text message open.

____

"Keith... Keith... Hey buddy... You OK?" Lance shook the boy in front of him and was met by red, watery eyes- threatening to spill at any minute.

____

It was shocking.

____

"Get Pidge." Not a single stutter. A face blank of emotion-the eyes had magically cleared. It looked like the previous moment had never happened. "Lance, get Pidge." Voice sterner.

____

"Oh... umm... OK." Lance left Keith where he was and headed to where the now 'super important' Pidge is.

____

Pidge was off her phone now, and had resulted to throwing empty pistachio shells at Hunk's head.

____

"Pidge, do you by any chance know Keith other than from college?"

____

"Yeah. His brother and Matt are on a science expedition to Antarctica. They're coming back in a week! I'm gonna prank the shit out of Matt!" Pidge lightened up almost instantly at the thought of her brother. Lance thinks it's impossible for anyone to be as close as Matt and Pidge-and he came from a large family that communicated in love and affection!

____

Before Lance could tell Pidge that Keith asked for her, he heard a voice come from behind him.

____

"Pidge... I'm so sorry."

____

Lance turned to see Keith standing in the doorway. Phone in hand. Tears dripping down his cheeks. The sight of Keith like this made Lance's breath get stuck in his throat.

____

_What happened?_

____

"Keith? What's going on? Why are you crying!" Pidge started out questioning, but started shouting because of her lack of ability to handle raw human emotion and doesn't have any form of empathy.

____

"I-I got a message. From the... the..." Keith stopped to close his eyes and take a deep breath,"From the people running the Garrison expedition to Antarctica."

____

"Yeah... so?"

____

"Apparently, there was an issue due to a pilot error or something like that." Another pause,"They aren't coming h-home." More tears fell down his face and the room's atmosphere. 

____

Gasps from Hunk.

____

Screams from Pidge.

____

Silence from Lance.

____

_Silence._

____

_He must look so _heartless_. So cruel._

__

In a room full of clearly mourning people, Lance is the only one not showing sadness. Well, apart from Keith. His face has changed to anger. He's furious. Probably at the fact the Garrison blamed his brother for his death. Probably in denial about his brother's death. But one things for sure; Keith has dried tears on his face; Keith has his fists shoved at his sides shaking; Keith is pissed.

__

_And it looks like he’s going to do something about it._

__

" " __ " "

__

" " __************************_ _ " "

__

" " __ " "

__

" " __ " "

__

It's been three weeks since they found out the Antarctica mission failed.

__

Three weeks since Lance saw Pidge cry for the first time.

__

Three weeks since Keith stormed out of the flat.

__

Three weeks since Lance last saw Keith.

__

_And now he's back._

__

Keith is back in Philosophy, sat in the front, looking nothing like the Keith Lance knew. He had his hair down with a maroon beanie covering silky raven hair cascading down his face. Keith wore a black over-sized jumper -which is kind of practical considering it was towards the end of October and it was about 15˚Celsius outside- with what looks like Panic! At The Disco merch from their album Death Of A Bachelor (Lance hates that he knows their stuff). It looked like it came down to his mid-thighs, but he was sat down so it was difficult to tell. Keith wore his typical black skinny jeans, but this time he was wearing maroon converse to match his beanie.

__

_Huh_. From all the very few conversations Lance has had with Keith, he would have thought Keith was a fashion disaster. But, boy, does Keith know how to pull off an outfit. Lance considers himself a fashion expert and he knows what's shit and what's not. And that, is most definitely not shit. But it is the shit.

__

Keith himself, however, was the Grim Reaper. Lance thinks that what Keith was going for in his outfit, but his face definitely said more. His usually vibrant violet eyes were a dull purple colour. Dark circles decorated the space underneath his eyes. Keith's expression was blank, staring holes into the floor.

__

"Keith! I was wondering when the next time would be I would be blessed to see you."

__

The man had a strong British accent that matched his sharp features. He had eyes that were such a strange shade of yellow for irises, that they looked like a warning sign. His nose was pointed sharply and like his eyebrows. Painted on his face was a sly grin, revealing blindingly white teeth and sharpened canines. His skin was clear-which impressed Lance considering that he washes his face every night with Micellar Water and has a spa evening every Saturday. His silvery hair was gelled out of his face- but he left out a lock of hair- and it rained down past his shoulders, ending in the middle of his back.

__

_Overall, he looked like a pretentious prick._

____

The man intertwined his forefinger, middle finger and thumb with a raven lock of Keith's hair and twirled it between his fingers. Lance felt something horrible ball up deep in his gut, unable to identify the emotion. Whatever it was, Lance never wants to feel it again.

____

>"Go away, Lotor."

____

_Keith spoke._

____

His face had turned to anger and disgust, crawling up his face, ruining his perfect features.

____

"Awww, baby, I like it when you get _feisty_!" _Lotor_ squeezed the raven lock between his fingers.

____

Keith angled his head so that his hair fell out of the grasps of Lotor.

____

"I'll rephrase that- _Fuck off!_ "

____

Keith grabbed his backpack and got up to move seats, but a hand took his wrist. A hand with long, sharp nails. A hand that was smooth and perfectly moisturized. A hand that belonged to someone Lance decided he didn't like. A hand that belonged to _Lotor_.

____

What happened next could not be more than a few seconds, but it caused Lance to grimace.

____

Lotor _kissed_ Keith.

____

Like mouth to mouth. It looked like Lotor was going for a rom-com kind of kiss that made the other realize that they are made for each other. But it was not. Or Lance hoped it was not, at least. Also, isn't Keith straight? How it only just occurred to Lance, he did not know. It might have something to do with the fact that Keith just punched Lotor.

____

One second, Lotor was on Keith's lips. The next, he was on the ground, clutching onto his jaw.

____

Keith was standing above him, his jumper sleeves just draping over his fists. His face was reeking anger, eyebrows pinched, lips scrunched into a tight line, dull eyes blown wide with adrenaline. A few strands of hair leaked out of his beanie, overall, making him look cute as fuck.

____

I said- _Fuck Off!!_ What more do I have to do to get it through your thick skull?!" Keith waved his hands around, emphasizing his futurity. "What do I have to do to get you to understand that we are _over?!_ "

____

_Wait._

____

"What do I have to do to get you to understand that we haven't dated in _three months?!_ "

____

_What_

____

"What do I have to do to get you to understand that I don't _love you anymore?!_ "

____

_Keith... isn't... straight??_

____

A loud bang came from the front of the room as the professor slammed the door behind her, clearly noticing the yelling coming from the small man. She cleared her throat and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Please take your seats, class." Her voice so stern and clear, it couldn't help but show the strictness and deadliness of her voice booming through her words.

____

Lotor got up from the floor and slid into the seat that previously homed Keith. Something in Lance triggered him to move before Keith did and he went up the stairs to get to the middle row- where Lance knows where the best seats are. Moments after he sat down, a raven-haired boy sat down next to him.

____

_Keith_

____

Keith isn't straight. Keith might be into guys. Whether or not he is _gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual_ or just damn _queer_ , but it means that Lance might have a chance. Lance could end up following through with this cru-sexual attraction. Sexual attraction. Yep.

____

Keith huffed and started writing some notes down on his worn out notepad. With a few _very subtle_ glances, Lance noticed that the jet black notepad was covered in sketches, doodles and drawings. Lance blushed at the beautiful skill.

____

Keith may have been gone a while, but he is still the hothead that Lance lov-is attracted to. Is _attracted_ to.

____

_Definitely._

____

_Not._

____

_Loves_.

____

_Definitely._

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super busy and for some reason, I decided it would be best to start writing this during exam week. I'm smart.
> 
> Btw, for all you Fahrenheit using beasts out there, 15˚Celsius is about 59˚Fahrenheit
> 
> I'm using this platform as a way to vent my anxieties so please pardon the shit quality of the writing.
> 
> Please don't hate me but I'm getting serious writer's block on this and I just keep getting ideas on a Klangst fan fiction, so I'm just gonna start that BUT I WILL CONTINUE THIS!!!
> 
> mmmmmmmmmmkay.


	3. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **k.kog@ne** : hi...
> 
> Lance smiled slightly at the screen because of the forwardness that is mixed with hints of awkwardness.
> 
>  **lance.the_chance** : I thought I was going to slide into your dms first ;P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up guys, there's a bit of sexual language in the second half of the chapter but it's like 2 lines so you'll live.
> 
> I have no idea where this story is going- the plan didn't save and I can't remember it for the life of me- so I'm just making it up as I go along, which is the story of my life.

Lance groans as he shifts his soft pillowcase over his ears, in an attempt to block out the unwanted blaring of his alarm. God, he hates having early lectures. At least his shift at Sal's Diner is in the evening. Lance is much more of a night owl, and definitely _not_ a morning person. It doesn't help that Lance vaguely remembers Sal telling him to come in for the lunch shift. Something about low on staff or something. Sal's employees probably managed to pick the lock on their ankle and made a run for it. He snickers lightly under his breath.

_Haha_

Thudding came from his door and Lance pushed the pillow harder against his ears. It didn't block the incessant banging.

"Turn your fucking alarm _off_!!"

Ahh, Pidge. Such a bundle of joy in the mornings!

He pushed himself up, feeling his blankets fall onto the floor, and planted his socked feet on the wooden floor. Lance threw on a simple light blue polo, a black hoodie and some old jeans. Most of Lance's clothes are blue, a consequence of a catcalling a few years back. This one guy said blue brought out the colour in his eyes, so Lance has taken advantage of the statement. Lance would _definitely_ be lying, if he wasn't feeling himself.

Going into the bathroom, starting to go through his skincare routine, Lance let himself drift into autopilot. Lazily scrubbing his face with cream, his mind wandered to Keith.

_Keith._

He's been showing up to lectures more often now, but he always seems to be out of it; always tired. Still beautiful, though. He always sits at the front, listening to the professor. Speaking of, she's been more serious recently, but without the fire in her words. She probably knew Keith's brother too. Everyone knows about it anyways, it was all over the news. It was cruel.

Lance finished his daily skin routine and went to the kitchen, where he was met by a _very_ miserable Pidge. Her glasses were fogged over from the steam coming off her milky coffee. She was hunched over the side of the island, munching on a piece of buttered (vegan obviously) toast. Pidge refused to look up when he entered the room, only scrunching her face up in ferocity.

"I didn't need to be awake for another 2 hours, you ASSHAT!!"

"Sucks to be you, my friend." Lance sighed, walking over to the cupboard for some Frosted Flakes.

"I know, but guess what?" She chuckled grimly.

"What?" Lance was curious now.

"It sucks even more to be you, because I am going to _kill you_!" Pidge launched herself at Lance, causing him to yelp and spill some milk onto the marble counter. Lance narrowly missed the attack, causing Pidge to stumble onto the floor. He took the opportunity to rush to the front door, grab his bag and shoes, and belt it down the corridor, onto the street, all while barefoot.

When Lance deemed it safe enough, he stopped and lent on a fence to slip on his red Adidas trainers. While tying his laces, he realized that he left his cereal carnage uneaten on the counter, and made the executive decision to go to the Diner Hunk and Pidge worked at. Originally, Hunk had offered him a job there as a waiter, but he politely declined as the hours didn't fit his schedule. Roughly remembering where the place is, Lance wondered down the road. He put on his blue Beats headphones and started listening to the _Hot Hits_ playlist on Spotify. Premium was worth it.

Lance turned the corner onto Main Street and only went a few more feet before he was met with a sign, losing it's light blue paint, with the bold words ' _Voltron- Defender of Tastes_ '. He chuckled lightly to himself before pushing the door open with a light chime from a bell.

Inside was tables and chairs- all styling like a typical 50s American Diner would be- red booths, metal tables, etc. A large glass case showed off all sorts of delicious goodness, like different flavours of cheesecakes and baguettes. At the back of the fairly large room was a purple door that connected to the Diner's partner: Mamora Cafe. Excluding the purple door, Lance noted that the Diner only used five colours in the whole place, yellow, green, blue, black and red. He vaguely remembers Hunk mentioning that those colours were the favourite colours of everyone who worked there- barring Coran (Voltron's manager) who originally wanted orange, but the team over-ruled him as he wanted _orange mustache wallpaper_ instead of the cream painted walls with splashes of just those colours.

"Lance!" A low voice called out from behind the counter, "What are you doing here?" Hunk chuckled in confusion.

"Do you not want me to be here?" Lance aggressively retaliated. The lack of food must be getting to him.

Hunk held up his hands in surrender, "Not at all, buddy, but you _never_ come here at this time of day!"

Lance pondered for a little bit. He guessed it was true, considering he normally came in here for lunch. "Well I'm here now, so _food_!" His hunger was gnawing through his body, causing his stomach to growl and for him to have the attitude of a monster to match.

"Bagel?"

" _Bagel_."

Hunk hurried off into the back kitchen to make Lance's well-needed bagel. Lance growled slightly and dumped his bag and self in the nearest booth. He played Helix Jump to pass the time before he would be able to eat a simple but tasty ham and cheese bagel.

"Hi, welcome to Voltron. Would you like to order?"

_But I've already ordered._

Lance clicked his phone off and not so calmly put it on the table, "Look, I've already order-" He looked up to meet a tired man with his long, raven hair pulled into a low ponytail. Dark circles were painted underneath his eyes, contradicting strongly against his porcelain skin. He wore a white button-down, with the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbow and sported a red bow tie -the only pop of colour in his uniform. It was the uniform all staff wore here, but Hunk had an orange bow tie and Pidge had a green one, but it just looked so stunning on this man. It was probably because it was _Keith_.

"Sorry, you've already ordered?"

"NO!" Any excuse to speak to this man would do Lance better than none, "Ummm... I would like to have... aaaaaa..." Lance spotted a woman on a table a few over sipping on a latte. Lance likes those...ish, "A medium latte!" he turned back to the now slightly spooked man, "Yes! I will have one of those please." He was proud of himself for such good improvising. Those lessons in High School did actually mount to something.

Keith scribbled down his order and looked back up, "I'll be back with your order in a minute... Lance?" He smiled lightly and wondered off to the back kitchen.

_Ohhh myy Gooooddd!!! He knows my name!!_

Lance hid his face by shoving the palms of his hands against it, smiling broadly behind them. The sound of plates scraping against the table and the ' _oof_ ' of somebody sitting in the booth with him brought Lance out of his daze. He looked up to see Hunk munching happily on a bagel, waiting patiently for a thank you. At the sight of food, Lance shoved the mouth-watering circle into his mouth and moaned. Hunk just gave him a stink eye, signalling Lance that he was being rude.

"' _famk uu_!" Lance's attempt at gratification fell short, but at least he tried! He went back to focusing on the bagel, only adding in a few moans every so often.

Lance had just stuffed the last of his breakfast into his large gob, when he saw Keith come out of the kitchen with his drink. _Fuckkk..._ Lance started chew faster and harder trying to swallow, but physically not able to. The man reached the table and placed the hot mug down onto the table.

"Medium latte?" Keith asked for confirmation.

Lance held out a hand and the other waved frantically to signal that he was still chewing. Keith just raised an eyebrow in confusion and Hunk- _wonderful Hunk_ \- just chuckled silently. He managed to swallow enough of the bagel to croak out a "Yes, thank you", he then gestured to the coffee that was brought to him and that seemed to make Keith more confused. 

"Is that all?", Keith placed his hands behind his back in a formal manner.

"We're good for now, Keith." This time Hunk spoke up, with his hand covering his mouth making his speech a bit muffled.

Keith gave a quick nod, a small smile and then walked away to serve other tables. Man, Lance loved watching him leave. Suddenly, as his brain finally caught up with his dick, he realized that Keith worked at the same place as Pidge and Hunk, but _they never told him_. He turned, quite aggressively, on the verge of losing it from this piece f information, hidden from him like the world's most magical treasure- which to Lance, _it is_. He brought the mug closer to him to warm his hands, he couldn't possibly drink it, it has no sweetener!

"Why didn't you tell me _Keith_ worked here?!" Lance's voice was loud enough to sound offended, but not so loud that it'd alert the raven-haired boy at the other end of the diner.

Hunk shrugged, "Pidge and I didn't think it was important..."

"Wasn't impor- _Wasn't important?!_ "

Hunk took the mug out of Lance's hands and starting sipping on the lukewarm coffee. He hummed in agreement.

"I have been working my ass off trying to get him to notice me!" Lance continued ranting, "I'm a dick in class, I try to be first in literally everything, I bump his shoulder _every time I walk past him_! And most times I don't even know why I'm being a dick to him, but I just am! But you're just telling me that I could have come here every day and get him to notice me, but oh wait! I didn't know that I could!"

"So you've been trying to get his attention, have you?" Hunk smirked, knowing he's caught the other out.

Lance felt his face warm profusely and began stuttering pure garbage. _Díos mío,_ Hunk has been spending way too much time with Pidge. At least, the man was nicer than the demon. Hell, she would be yelling at Keith to suck Lance's dick! He's grateful that the larger man is just petting his head from where it lay on the table, Lance whimpering like an upset puppy. 

"Oh, come on man! The times you talk about him mainly start about how much you hate him, but somehow always ends in how shiny his hair looked or how his eyes just _sparkle_ " Hunk imitated sparkle eyes the best he could, clasping his hands against his cheeks, "It's obvious you're so conflicted about you're feelings because you want to hate, but _can't_. I had to give you time to sort your feelings out, and forced Pidge to, as well. You should thank me!" 

Hunk finished his explanation with a generous swig of the latte.

Lance groaned, hating that Hunk was truly and utterly correct. Who made this man so smart?? "Thanks bro." He lifted a clenched fist and bumped it against Hunk's larger, and also hairier, fist.

After Lance calmed from his mental breakdown, he checked his Fitbit. Right now, he had enough time for him to get there comfortably and rushing, but that time was soon running out. It has to be noted, that Keith leaving the diner prompted the man to check the time. He has 20 minutes to get to _Philosophy, Politics and Economics_ and it takes him about 15 minutes, so he can just start dawdling now.

"Right, then!" He clasped his hands together in a sudden burst of energy, "I'm off to class, before I die a horrible death." Lance sighed and gathered his stuff.

Hunk did a small salute, "See ya".

Lance walked out of the door, resulting in a chime of a little bell, and put on his earphones, resuming his playlist. He walked slowly so he could admire the trees and flowers that decorated the street and the shops surrounding it. There was a certain beauty to living in a dirty, overcrowded city. Just _beautiful_.

The campus was crowded with teenagers. Asshole-jocks to ditsy hippies - you name the teenager, this college has it. Some kids from his _Design_ class sit on a large flat rock, just off the pathway, doodling on large sketchpads. He smiled and nodded at them, and they returned small smiles and waves. They were sweet, but to be honest he didn't know the majority of their names.

_I think there's a Daniel in there..._

He made his way to the large building, that held his class, and made his way through the clusters of people in the corridors. It stinks of body odor and Lance physically gagged.

Time for class.

_Ughh._

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Lance huffs as he wipes the counter down waiting for someone, _anyone_ , to come into the diner. Absolutely no customers enters this place anymore, purely because of the _great_ manager that owns it. The food sucks, the service is slow, everything is somehow always dirty and the attitude Sal has when serving customers is bad enough for Donald Trump to sub-tweet him. Sal is so bad that he's even driven his employees away, and he's literally paying them to stick around. When Lance started working here, it was him, Hunk and like ten other people. Now, it's Lance working the front and some 50-something year old washing dishes 24-7. It's been so quiet since Hunk left to work as cook at the Voltron Diner. Nowadays, Lance sits behind the counter, humming the songs stuck in his head.

He walks over to the small fridge under the desk and picks up a large slice of an old, mediocre cheesecake. Lance takes a deep sigh, leans on his hand and picks at the blueberry cheesecake , with no actual intention of eating it. He goes on his phone and uses the free WiFi to check his Instagram.

_Huh... That's interesting._

On his notifications, there's a new follow request from a **k.kog@ne** and he reminds Lance of someone. The profile picture is of a large, very fluffy, black dog jumping to catch a dark red frisbee. It reveals in his bio, that the dog is his, their name is Kosmo and his 'rock whenever he gets too angry'. It also says that he is the same age as Lance - 20 - and is into going to the gym, mechanics and painting. It's not like Lance is attracted to all of these things.

_Coooooool dudes._

His photos are mainly of his dog, drawings, new workout gear, cars and motorbikes. He has a few aesthetic photos of nature and mirror selfies with the face drawn out, showing off _amazing_ outfits that are just fit as _fuck_!

Lance eagerly hits 'accept' on the request and quickly presses 'follow back', excited to slide into his dms later. They'd talk about their interests and hobbies, with Lance dropping a few pick-up lines here and there. They'd laugh and it'd be really easy to talk to one another.

His phone makes a small chime sound, indicating that he's received a message. Lo and behold, it's a message from **k.kog@ne** , starting the conversation Lance wanted to start.

 **k.kog@ne** : hi...

Lance smiled slightly at the screen because of the forwardness that is mixed with hints of awkwardness.

 **lance.the_chance** : I thought I was going to slide into your dms first ;P

_Nice._

**k.kog@ne** : lol sorry. Why don't you start this again?

 **lance.the_chance** : Of course. My name is Lance Serrano-McClain and I'm a 20 year old with a love for my best friend's meatball and spaghetti. Wbu??

 **k.kog@ne** : well, my name is Keith Kogane, i'm 19 but 20 in a few weeks and I LIKE COCK

_ummm... What?!_

**k.kog@ne** : COME ON LANCE!!! LET ME SUCK YOUR DICK!! LET ME RIDE YOU TILL YOU PASS OUT!!!

Lance is so confused, but the warmth pooling in lower regions are saying that it doesn't matter.

 **k.kog@ne** : MMMMM LAAAAANCE!! YES YES YEsloufbne;igfakeufnv;ri

Lance scrunched his face up trying to understand what the _fuck_ is happening on his phone right now. It's like he's not in the conservation with him anymore and it's become someone else.

 **k.kog@ne** : Really sorry... my friends took my phone. It was fine when Hunk had my phone, but Pidge is the absolute WORST.

Wait a tic... How does this guy know his roommates? Lance is pretty sure he knows everyone that his two closest friends hangs out with and none of them have the name ' _Keith Kogane_ '. Wait... Yes he does. Hot-Cafe-Dude-That-Works-At-The-Diner-Hunk-And-Pidge-Work-At-And-Is-Taking-The-Same-Class-As-Them-Dude. Why didn't Lance think of this before?!

 **lance.the_chance** : Hold up, is this Keith Kogane that works in Voltron Diner and is minoring in _Engineering_ and _Phiolosophy_?

 **k.kog@ne** : what the fuck

OK, Lance admits that sounds a tad bit creepy, but it gets to the point! Kinda.

 **k.kog@ne** : Pidge just told me you're my stalker. Do I need to call the police? Pidge is agreeing btw.

 **lance.the_chance** : Nononononononono I'm not your stalker, Pidge is just EVIL! Make sure she reads that.

 **k.kog@ne** : Don't worry. She's reading it every time she wriggles her way out of my hold. She's a slippery little shit.

Lance can't help but snort out some cheesecake crumbs onto the counter, quickly swiping it onto the floor with his hand. He thinks about the perfect reply because he reallyyyyyyy doesn't need to mess this up for a however many times he's on now.

**lance.the_chance** : PREACH! Pidge always is being a sly bastard. 8^0 

**k.kog@ne** : Well Pidge is the person who followed you, so she's not all that bad ;) 

_Oh, boy._

Lance's heart flutters at the casual flirting. He just can't believe that the universe keeps bringing him back to Keith in one way or another. Lance is a strong believer in fate and that somewhere in the world, there is a soulmate waiting for him to come home. He's always imagined them being kind and funny, a great cook so that Lance can finally live off something other than Hunk's cooking and fast food. Obviously, he would prefer it if they were attractive, but looks aren't as important as personality.

**lance.the_chance** : Tell her I owe her a fro-yo. (UwU) 

**k.kog@ne** : She said to pick her up a Caramel Brownie fro-yo with Chocolate Sauce and Extra Sprinkles. Btw she knows you're not doing anything at work so there's "no excuse"

Lance pondered for a minute - bunk off work to meet up with Pidge, Hunk and Keith. Pro= get to hang out with friends and hot guy. Con= might get fired. Is that a con though? Lance knows he can just get a better paying job, where his friends and hot guy work at, with better working conditions and hours. Totally not a con and more of a pro.

 **lance.the_chance** : text me where you are and I'll grab sm. Do you or Hunk want anything??

He dumped his plate in the sink and rapidly flipped the chairs so they were off the floor ready for the cleaner. He rushed into the back room, slipping on his jacket and collecting his things from his minuscule locker. Flipping the sign in the window from ' _Open_ ' to ' _Closed_ ' and locks the door behind him. The cold nips at his skin, so he blows warm air onto his fingers.

 **k.kog@ne** : We're at my place- *** some apartment block. Can I get a Cookie Dough fro-yo and Hunk wants a Chocolate one?? I'll pay you back when you get here.

 **lance.the_chance** : Ok be there in 15 ;p

Lance put his phone in his pocket and cycled down to the Carvel down the street with a soft smile painting his face.

_Just hope I have enough money..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I originally started this, I was planning on Shallura. BUT, Dreamworks blessed us by telling us that Shiro has a Fiance and how could I not change the plot to jump on this bandwagon. Also, I shall not let him die or give up on Shiro.
> 
> Does this count as a Diner au now? Because I'm really not sure... I don't know why I put it into the story and I'm just going to go along with it. Also for some reason Keef is an artist now and art is his major now and he's minoring in Engineering and Philosophy. I don't know either, mannn.
> 
> Thank you for all you comments!! I know I'm not very good at this and I'm quite slow at writing, so I will try and write more in the chapters and get more out. Maybe I should get like an Instagram or a Tumblr for this so you guys can actually tell me to write or give me ideas, considering i am literally making this up as i go.
> 
> See you later! Hopefully within the next 30 days...

**Author's Note:**

> I suck, I know. Don't have to tell me, because I already know.  
> The title is a reference to Panic! at the disco- our Lord and Savior, anyone who disagrees, fight me.  
> This is mainly going to be a pining Lance work and I don't know how long it will be, but I know it most likely will not be longer than 20.  
> I don't have a schedule, so don't fucking ask.  
> I'm done here.  
> PEACE OUT DUDES!!


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